MAYOR BING ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET AND CRISIS TURNAROUND TEAM

Source of press release the City of Detroit news release:

MAYOR BING ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET AND CRISIS TURNAROUND TEAM

5/13/2009
Detroit News

In keeping with his campaign promise, Mayor Dave Bing announced members of his Cabinet and Crisis Turnaround Teams today during a press conference in the Mayor’s Office. This is the first of several press briefings that the Mayor intends to hold to keep the citizens of Detroit informed on his turnaround process. Mayor Bing introduced six members of his Cabinet and nearly 30 members of his Crisis Turnaround team.

“I look forward to working with each of these professionals as we begin to put the city back on the right track both fiscally and operationally,” said Mayor Bing.

Mayor Bing is offering a different approach to managing the City, utilizing the Group Executive approach. The Group Executive have expertise within their given fields and will manage several clustered key departments. Group Executives will report directly to Mayor Bing and will be held accountable for the overall success of each department within their group. Group Executives include: George Jackson, Economic Development; Darchelle Strickland-Love, Health and Human Services; Saul Green, Public Safety; Norman White, Finance; Bob Warfield, Communications; Charles Beckham, Chief Administrative Officer; and Sue Carnell, Mayor’s Office. Additionally, Mayor Bing intends to fill one remaining Group Executive position, which is Operations.

Mayor Bing feels this is the least disruptive management approach while maintaining the delivery of quality City services, while he and his Crisis Turnaround Team evaluate the fiscal stability of the City.

Mayor Bing’s Crisis Turnaround Team is comprised of nearly 30 volunteers, including retired and senior executives, who are contributing their time and expertise to review, evaluate and develop recommendations for improving the City’s fiscal status. Team Co-Chairs are Denise Illitch, Freman Hendrix and Joseph Walsh. Turnaround team members will work in the areas of finance/budget, human resources, legal and stimulus management. Their names and short bios are included in the attached document. Members of the team will volunteer their time and resources for the next 100 days.

For more information on Mayor Bing’s Cabinet as well as the Crisis Turnaround Team, please contact the Mayor’s Office at (313) 224-3400.


Source of following article is The Michigan Development Corporation:

George W. Jackson, Jr.

President and CEO, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation
Chief Development Officer, City of Detroit, Detroit

George W. Jackson, Jr. became interim President & CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) in February 2002, and was elected to the position on a permanent basis in April 2002. The DEGC is a private, nonprofit corporation devoted exclusively to supporting Detroit's economic development projects and initiatives by providing technical, financial and development assistance to the City and the business community. The DEGC also serves as the professional and administrative staff for the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC), Tax Increment Finance Authority, and Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (DBRA). The DEGC is the lead organization for implementation of permanent revitalization improvements (the Lower Woodward Improvement Program) for Superbowl XL, held in Detroit on February 5, 2006.

In 2006 Jackson assumed the responsibilities of Chief Development Officer for the City of Detroit. This position includes the responsibility of overall coordination of City economic development activity, as well as supervision of the City Planning and Development, and Environmental Affairs Departments.

Jackson also is the past Chairman and serves as a Board member of the NextEnergy Corporation, a corporation committed to making Michigan a world leader in alternative energy by advancing the use of alternative energy through groundbreaking research, design, manufacturing, education, commercialization and the marketing of alternative technologies.

Prior to his current position, Jackson was Director of Customer Marketing for DTE Energy, where he worked for 27 years. Areas reporting to the Director of Customer Marketing include Economic Development, Strategic Marketing Processes, Product Development, Program Management, Customer Research and Information and Ethnic Marketing. Under Jackson's leadership the DTE Energy Economic Development Department gained national recognition and was a recipient of the Site Selection magazine Utility Economic Development Award. Jackson also has played an influential role in City of Detroit, Southeastern Michigan and State of Michigan economic development programs, projects, initiatives and organizations.

Additional experience includes Personnel and Human Resources with the United States Navy, Adjunct faculty at Lawrence Technological University School of Management, and professional level positions at Detroit Edison in the Human Resources, Organizational Planning and Development and Power Generation organizations.

Jackson is a native Detroiter, and a graduate of Detroit Cooley High School, Oakland University (B.S. Human Resource Development) and Central Michigan University (M.A. Management - Business Management).